Audi's next-generation A3 will be offered in a wide array of body styles.
Weeks ahead of the upcoming Geneva Motor Show we’re getting our first good look at the next-generation Audi A3 thanks to some fortuitously leaked photographs.
As with the outgoing model, Audi will offer the subcompact model in a mix of body configurations – starting with the 3-door Avant, or wagon, we see here. It’s expected to add a 5-door Sportback as well as a conventional sedan and a convertible.
The look is likely to be familiar to Audi fans, the new A3 adopting a face much like the marque’s recently updated mainstay model, the A4, with a large grille that rises from the chin spoiler up to the hood. The headlamps now incorporate the familiar Audi LED accent lights.
While it may resemble the previous Audi A3, there’s a big difference under the skin, the 2013 model adopting the Modular Tranverse Matrix platform, (known internally as MQB) that will be shared with a wide range of Volkswagen AG products, all the way down to the base Skoda brand.
Audi is likely to offer several different diesel and gasoline powertrains for the new A3.
What will power the new A3? We’ll have to wait for the Audi news conference at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show to find out for sure but European media have reported that at least one option will be a 1.4-liter inline-four that will now get fuel-saving cylinder deactivation. Stop-Start capability may also be in the plans considering it’s being offered by a variety of Audi competitors.
Meanwhile, we’ll expect to see at least one and possible several different diesel variants for the European market. The most likely choice: a 1.6-liter TDI I-4
Will a diesel make it to the States? Uncertain for now, though Audi – like its German rivals – has been putting an increasing emphasis on oil-burner technology in recent years. The A3 with TDi was declared the Green Car of the Year two years ago, at the L.A. Auto Show, so it would be a reasonable bet that we’d see this configuration maintained.
The next-gen Audi A3 will feature a slimmer, upgraded infotainment system using a console-mounted touchpad controller.
Initially, all A3s will appear in front-wheel-drive form, though a Quattro package will soon follow. Gearbox options will include a 6-speed stick or 7-speed double-clutch. A hybrid A3 is also in the works, along with high-performance S3 and RS3 spin-offs.
The leaked images of the 2013 Audi A3 show a pop-up LCD screen, much like the one offered on other new Audi models. Expect to see an infotainment system interface that will borrow from what Audi has introduced on other recent models, aiming to make it easier to operate without distraction – including an integrated touchpad mounted in the center console. A Head-Up Display, or HUD, will reportedly also be available.